The Bug That Almost Ruined Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Glitches and bugs are inevitable. No matter how much painstaking effort is put into developing a video game, it is virtually impossible to ensure that everything will work completely as intended once a game goes gold and is brought to market. Many of these glitches are of a minor inconvenience — wonky physics, a faulty input, and various things of that nature. Unfortunately, not all glitches are minor. Some are major problems that can not only seriously impede the player experience, but render an entire game — or save file — moot.
These are what are known as game-breaking glitches, and they can ruin even the greatest of games. Some notable examples of such include every player becoming invisible in "Madden NFL 2003," or the "Dawnbreaker" map for the seventh-generation edition of "Battlefield 4" that would completely crash the game whenever queued. Despite being regarded as perhaps the best of the "Grand Theft Auto" series and one of the best games ever made, Rockstar Games' "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" had a similar issue that was so bad, it nearly ruined the game's entire experience.
The Ice Cream factory of death
After its release, "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" quickly became a huge favorite for gamers everywhere. Rockstar Games' highly anticipated follow-up to 2001's sleeper hit "Grand Theft Auto 3" earned high praise from critics who lauded the game for its story, characters, ensemble cast of reputable Hollywood actors, and Miami-inspired 80s setting. However, there were some technical issues with it, such as an inconsistent frame rate, which critics noted. However, one issue in particular stood to derail the game's soon-to-be iconic legacy altogether.
At a certain stage of "Vice City," players can purchase an ice cream factory called Cherry Poppers which actually serves as a front to deal drugs. During one of its missions, however, players could encounter a legit game-breaker. Should gamers save during the mission "Distribution," it would corrupt a player's save and force them to start the game over completely from the beginning. This issue was prevalent in early copies of the game, but was later patched out.
Had this issue not been ironed out quickly, it's likely that the entire "Vice City" experience would've been irreparably broken and could've very well ruined what is ultimately considered among the best PlayStation 2 games ever released.